Board approves establishment of the department of Materials Science and Engineering

4/8/2011

TUSKEGEE, Ala. (April 7, 2011) — The Tuskegee University Board of Trustees, in its spring meeting on March 19, approved the establishment of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, effective July 1. The department will house Tuskegee University’s first Ph.D. program in materials science and engineering.

“This action of the board has made Tuskegee University the only HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) that has the Department of Materials Science and Engineering,” said Dr. Shaik Jeelani, vice president for research and sponsored programs, who also serves as the director of the Ph.D. program in MSE.

The Ph.D. program in MSE was started in 1998 with support from the National Science Foundation, through the Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology grant. The program has also been supported by various grants including those from NSF, NASA, the United States Army, Air Force and Navy, and industry. It is Tuskegee’s first doctoral program, which is designed to substantially increase the number of black Ph.D. holders in MSE. The program has graduated 21 students, which include two candidates who are scheduled to graduate on May 8.